5 Questions with: Anthony Montgomery

Some of us may know Anthony Montgomery best as Travis Mayweather from Star Trek: Enterprise, the fifth live-action series in the Star Trek franchise. But now Anthony can also add graphic novelist to his list of accomplishments with today’s launch of his new series, Miles Away. Anthony teamed up with Brandon Easton (WB’s Thundercats) Jeff Stokely and Jey Odin (Chicken Fighter) to tell the tale of a gifted teen boy whose family background gets him and his friends entangled in a war spanning across two entire planets. Miles Away releases Wednesday, April 24, 2013 nationwide.

Anthony and I first met at Dragon*Con back in 2009 – but we caught up on the phone last week and chatted about his newest project.

We loved you on Enterprise. How has being on that show affected your life?Thank you. I (we) worked hard on Enterprise to make it the best show it could be and appreciate the love and support from all the wonderful fans of our series. My life has been affected in some profound and amazing ways. Now that I’m part of the Star Trek family, the most incredible thing that came from being on Enterprise is that I now have a connection (to some degree) with every being on the planet. Everyone knows what Star Trek is. That’s pretty awesome.

What other projects have you been working on – where else can we see you?I recently made a cameo appearance on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in the episode titled, “Sleeping Monster.” I appeared opposite Justin Chambers, Sandra Oh, Charles Michael Davis and Idara Victor. Check local listings for airing times in your area.Earlier this year, I filmed the lead role (“Cole Weathers”) and also served as a co-producer on an independent Suspense Thriller called CHARIOT. I play one of seven strangers who wakes aboard a passenger airline in mid-flight, with no idea how they got there – and no idea where they are headed. They learn they may be the only survivors of devastating U.S. attack. Check out the trailer! The film is in post production. You can learn more about the film at our website: http://www.chariotmovie.com.

So tell us a bit about your motivation for starting Miles Away?In the back of my MILES AWAY graphic novel, I actually go into great detail about how I came up with the idea while I was still on Enterprise. It’s a pretty long story (and I hope your readers will get the book and learn the full version). Here, I’ll simply say I wanted to create something really special for all our amazing Star Trek fans out there. And I wanted to create a superhero. 🙂 Because my profession is acting, the ultimate motivation for wanting to create my own franchise was so that I could provide for my family without having to continue going through the gauntlet of the Hollywood audition process. Auditioning is part of the actor’s journey… but I hate it.

Thanks so much for donating a signed copy to the Geek Gala! What other charities or causes are you involved in?You’re very welcome! I hope my donation makes a difference in some one’s life. 🙂 Coming from an abusive home, I actually plan on starting my own charitable organization that helps children raised in abusive environments, as well as helping women affected by domestic violence. A great charity that one of my close friends (Kiko Ellsworth) is associated with and made me aware of is an organization called Safe Passage (http://www.safepassagelives.org). I plan to work with them in the future to help spread awareness to stop the abuse of women.

The theme for this year’s Gala is Alien Invasion. What are your top 3 tips for dealing with an alien life form for the first time? 1) Don’t scream. (I would imagine they wouldn’t like the loud shriek. I mean, would you?)2) Make eye contact… if the alien has eyes, of course. If no eyes are available, pick a point to focus on so that it trusts you (and hope you’re not staring at it’s butt).3) DO NOT TRY TO KEEP THE ALIEN AS A PET. (That just never turns out well for anybody… especially the dissected human.)

Joey moved to Charlotte in 2008 and loves it here! She started the Charlotte Geeks after returning from Dragon*Con and whining "But I don't want to wait 360 days to hang out with my people again!!" Self-dubbed the GiddyGeeker, her geekdoms are Doctor Who, Marvel, Boardgaming, British TV (MisFits, Orphan Black, Sherlock, The IT Crowd, etc) and she is slightly addicted to FUNKO pops. Check here out here or listen to her on the Guardians of the Geekery podcast.